


My Best Friend

by maddierose3



Series: My Best Friend [1]
Category: aphmau - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Aphmau - Freeform, F/M, I stopped writing it 2 years ago, MCD, Minecraft Diaries, Mystreet - Freeform, Sadness, XReader, Zane - Freeform, im moving it here, its discontinued though, llp, loveloveparadise, otp, phd, phoenixdrophigh, this was originally on wattpad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-05-18 09:46:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14850443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maddierose3/pseuds/maddierose3
Summary: Everyone knows the classic high school experience; difficult classes, homework loads heavy enough to challenge Johann Goethe, Albert Einstein, AND Leonardo Di Vinci, unexplainable crushes, struggling to keep a balance between family life, social life, good grades, eating, and getting enough sleep, and maintaining you sanity for the next 4 years. Well, (Y/N)'s story is a bit different. She had been homeschooled for the past two years of her life so her social conduct with other teens is limited. She does happen to make friends with Aphmau, a raven haired-spunky, Hispanic girl with an obsession with anything anime or from Japan. Together, they try and survive high school as two anime obsessed homeschooled teens. But what happens when characters from Aphmau's past start to play a part in (Y/N)'s future? Their teenage years are about to get even wilder!





	1. Day 1

"(Y/N)! Get your butt down here! Mom says I have to drive you to school!"

"Oh, Gimme a minute, Amber! I'm almost done!"

"Fine! I'm gonna start the car! If you're not in the car in 3 minutes, I'm leaving without you!"

This was our relationship. My sister would refuse to come upstairs to talk to me and I would refuse to walk downstairs to talk to her. So we yelled at each other so we could hear. I don't understand why she doesn't call me. She's on her phone all the time anyway. I haven't been to school in 2 years. Well, a proper school. I had been homeschooled the past 2 years of my life. I guess my mom wanted me to have some social interaction so she's sending me to a proper school my freshman year. I was excited, don't get me wrong, but I hadn't seen a lot of people my age since 6th grade. I wasn't very social, seeing as I spent a lot of my time online, playing video games. I had a lot of friends there but I didn't know any of them in the real world. So she's sending me to Phoenix Drop High. I was glad to be going there. I had heard of PDH, but there wasn't much about it that made it special. It was just a good school, as far as academics go. At least my mom didn't make me apply to Ohkasis Prep. Like hell I would ever go there. It's all a bunch of preppy rich kids.

I looked at the clock on my phone. Crap, Amber might leave soon. I grabbed all of my stuff, backpack, papers, pencils, books, my phone, and headphones, and ran out the door, hugging my mom goodbye on the way out. I jumped into Amber's car and she proceeded to give me a death hug.

"Oh! My little sister is on to her first day in high school!!" she squealed. I swear this girl is gonna kill me.

"Amber...please...can't...breathe..." I choked out.

"Oh, sorry. Just excited that my little sis is going to my old high school!"

"Amber, you graduated last year. That's not really an 'old school'"

"I know. But still, aren't you excited?"

"Yeah, I am. But you seem more excited than I am!" I laughed a little. She was acting like she was starting her first day of high school, not me.

We continued our conversation like this for a while, sometimes changing the subject from school to summer, future trips, Amber's new boyfriend, funny things mom and dad have done. Funny, this morning, she was yelling at me to get my butt moving. Now, she's talking like we've never had a fight before in our lives. 

We pulled up to PDH. I grabbed my stuff and said goodbye to my sister. I walked into what looked like a front yard area, but without the yard. It was a big concrete area with a fountain in the middle and students in groups everywhere! I made my way over to the fountain because it was the first thing that caught my eye. The water was crystal clear and sparkling; in other words, absolutely gorgeous. I sat down and got my phone out of my bag. I saw I had a text from Pip. Pip is my best friend. We met online so I'm not even sure if Pip is their real name. I probably won't ever meet them in real life, but at least I didn't look totally alone. I hope I looked as though I was texting a friend who was on their way here. I finished typing in and sending the "hello" text when the bell rang. I gathered my stuff, kept my phone out, and headed inside. The first thing I saw was a large front room with a dozen of students in it, lined up for three different tables. Luckily, I already had the stuff I needed because my mom requested everything to be mailed to us. I got out the packet and took out my schedule and the map. First period, Homeroom, Room 202. I checked the map and it seemed close by if I don't get lost. 

Time Skip =3

The warning bell had just rung. Crap! I have 5 minutes to get to class and I have no clue where I am. I checked the map but I couldn't pinpoint my location. Damn it. I slid to the floor, feeling completely defeated. I stayed in silence until I heard a voice talking to me.

"You ok?" It sounded male, maybe a year or two older than me.

"Ugh, no. I'm totally lost and can't figure out where I am." 

"Where's your homeroom?"

"Room 202..."

"Here, I'll take you there." He extended a hand to me. I looked up to become eye to eye with a blonde haired, blue eyed dude smiling at me with his hand outstretched to me. I took his hand and he hoisted me up. 

"Thanks a lot. I didn't plan on being late my first day. What's your name, anyway?" I said, brushing myself off.

"It's Garroth. You know, a lot of girls start stuttering when they're around me." He said, flashing a cheeky grin. I rolled my eyes.

"I wonder why," I said, jokingly annoyed. I couldn't be rude to him. He's helping me get to my class after all.

"Heh, It's nice to have at least one person not swooning over me. It gets pretty annoying. I have a personality you know, I'm not just a pretty face." I sighed in relief. Thank god. This guy wasn't totally self-centered. I couldn't stand egotistical guys.

"Needed to rant, huh?"

"I've been needed to rant since I came here."

"But it's only the first day of school," We were almost at my homeroom.

"Oh, I never told you. I'm a sophomore here. I know, I look pretty young. But I promise I'm a sophomore."

"I believe you. Anyway, I think this is the room. Thanks for walking me here."

"It's no problem. Hey, at the club social, try and find me. I'll be by the baseball table. We can keep talking then!"

"Ok! See you there!"

We waved goodbye and I took my seat as the final bell rang. Our teacher started off class by taking roll and giving out a few announcements. Then, we were free to socialize. I was in front of a very pretty girl with dark hair and amber eyes. I gained my confidence, then turned around to talk to her.

"Hi! My name is (Y/N)! What's your's?" Oh, my Irene what am I doing?

"Hi (Y/N)! I'm Aphmau! And this is Travis." She responded. Thank god, she was nice.

"H-h-hi (Y/N). I-i-it's nice t-to meet y-you." Travis stuttered.

"Are you ok, Travis? You seem nervous."

"N-no! I'm ok. Just didn't think a p-pretty girl like you would ever talk to me. " Ok, now I'm blushing. And Aphmau seemed to notice.

"It's ok, (Y/N). Travis just has a habit of saying what's on his mind when he's nervous." This calmed me down. But now Travis was blushing. Cute.

"You're fine, Travis. I'm sure we can all be friends!"

"Y-yeah!" He said.

"Alright, class!" the teacher was talking again, "it's time to head to the club social. Now is your time to meet some of the upper-classmen and get to know each other. Let's go." He started walking out the door with all of us trailing behind him. Travis, Aph, and I stuck together. I'm sure this won't be so bad.


	2. Chapter 2

We were at the front door to the gym for what seemed like hours. Luckily, Travis, Aphmau, and I were there to keep each other company. We talked for the whole time until the teacher said we could go in. He also explained that we had to go to our last class of the day then go home. Sweet, an easy, short day. We went into the hall and I immediately started to look for Garroth. I wanted to introduce Travis and Aphmau to him. I couldn't do that though since a volleyball came out of nowhere and socked Travis in the face. 

"Travis! Are you ok?" Aphmau yelled.

"Ha! You caught the ball with your face!" Some upper-class girl with light blue hair was walking toward us.

"Hey. Not funny. He happens to be our friend and if you mess with him, you mess with us. Got that, Missy?" I don't know what came over me. I just don't like people getting hurt, physically or emotionally.

"What was that, little freshmen? Trying to pick a fight." She kept walking towards me, but I held my ground. Luckily I didn't have to do anything since a brunette dude walked up to us.

"Hey, Katelyn, lay off the freshmen. They're new."

"Hey, she started it! It's not my fault!"

"Try again," I said, "You threw a volleyball at Travis's face. I'm just sticking up for him while he's partially unconscious."

"Katelyn, what's happening over here?" A familiar blonde had shown up. It was Garroth.

"Nothing, pretty boy. Why don't you go back to your booth?" Now the blue haired girl was addressing Garroth.

"I could ask you the same thing. Don't your members need you, Miss. Captain-of-the-Volleyball-Team."

"Crap! I forgot. Listen, freshmen," She was now addressing me and Aph, "If you ever want to talk, come see me at the volleyball table, k?"

"Ok, Katelyn. See you!" I said back.

"Wait, how do you know my name?"

"You didn't here Garroth and this guy," I point to behind my shoulder where the brunette guy was still standing, "say your name? I could figure it out."

"Smart little cookie. I like you. Talk you later, freshman!" 

"See ya!" I waved. Then turned to Garroth, "Hey Garroth! I was looking for you. Well, until Travis got knocked out."

"Hey, (Y/N). I was wondering when you'd show up," He was now wearing that cheeky smile from earlier.

"Well, I'm here now! Anyway, I wanted to introduce you to my two friends, Aphmau and Travis." Aph was helping Travis to his feet. Once she got him standing, she actually looked at Garroth. And...squeaked? Odd. I thought she would speak up but Garroth did instead.

"Hey, your the girl who bumped into me outside, right?" Another squeak from Aph. 

"I'm going to take that as a yes, Garroth," I said, laughing a how cute Aph was. She was like a little anime character!

"Anyways," the brunette began to speak, "Garroth, whose the cutie you met?"

"Which one?" Garroth replied. Oh my god. I'm about to copy Aph and start squeaking too. 

"Well, I've already met Aphmau. I walked her to her class."

"Funny. That's how I met (Y/N)here. She was lost and I walked her to homeroom."

"Garroth, I'm lost. Who's this?" I butt in. Sorry, but I was confused on who this stranger was.

"Oh, sorry (Y/N). This is my best friend, Laurence. We met last year when we started together."

"Cool! It's nice to meet you, Laurence." I stuck my hand out to shake his.

"Likewise, (Y/N)," he replied shaking my hand, "Anyway, I'll see you guys around. I think the bell for last period just rang. See ya!" He said walking off.

"Aww crap! I forgot about last class. I'll see you later Garroth. I don't think I'll get lost this time." I said, starting to walk away with Aph and Travis.

"Wait, (Y/N). Let me give you my number. We can talk whenever, ok?"

"Sure," I said handing him my phone. He put in his number and took a cute picture of himself for a contact photo, then handed me back my phone.

"Call me some time, ok?" He said, walking away.

"You got it! Bye Garroth!"

"Bye, (Y/N)!"

We parted ways and I caught up with Aph and Travis. My first question was why Aph ran away with Travis after I started talking to Garroth and Laurence.

"It's because she fancies him~" Travis said.

"Travis!!" Aph squealed, "Don't say stuff like that."

I, on the other hand, was laughing my butt off. It was too funny! The first day of school and Aphmau already has a cute little crush.

"Come on, guys. We have to get to our last class. What do you guys have?"

"BIO101," Travis groaned, "only the most boring subject ever."

"I have HMEC207. What's that?" I questioned.

"Only one of the best classes here! That's home economics. I've heard that, when you start cooking, you get to eat what you made in class!"

"Awesome! I'll try to bring you guys stuff once we start that unit." I said. I was so excited.

"What about you, Aph? What's your last class?" Travis asked.

"Something called WWLF107. What's that?" She wondered.

"Beats me." Travis and I said at the same time.

"Anyways, we should be getting to class. Don't get lost you two!" I shouted, walking away.

"See ya, (Y/N)!" They said back, and I was on my way to Home Ec.

 

~~~

 

I made my way to my Home Ec class pretty quickly. When I got close, everything smelled like cinnamon and vanilla. Yum! I walked in and took my seat. Hopefully, the cooking unit will be first. The scent alone almost made me fall asleep, not to mention the warmth in the room. But before I could fall asleep, someone bumped into my shoulder. I looked up to see a small kid with black hair hanging over one eye and a scarf tied around his mouth. I recognized him from my homeroom but I never learned his name. 

"Sorry," I said, sifting my chair forward. He just responded with a grunt. Okay then? Maybe he was just having a bad day. I focused my attention on the teacher, who was starting the class. I started thinking about the boy. I didn't see him walk in with anyone. In fact, he was always alone. Maybe he just wanted some friends? I decided to talk to him after class ended.

When the final bell had rung, I gathered my stuff and looked over to where the boy was sitting. He was gone. I ran out the door, hoping to catch him, and saw him walking towards the back doors of the school. Odd.

I ran to catch up with him, but before I could say anything, he put on a snarky attitude.

"What do you want, pipsqueak?" He growled. 

"Hey! Rude," I didn't like people commenting on my height.

"Whatever. What do you want?" His tone got worse.

"I just saw you with no one and I wanted to hang out with you," I said with a smile. Maybe I can cheer him up!

"Like hell, you do. No one wants to hang out with me." He sounded sadder. It was subtle, but still there.

"Hey, that's not true. Let's start over! Hi, my name is (Y/N)!"

"Stupid name, if you ask me." Wow, this guy was itching to pick a fight. I wasn't gonna give it to him.

"I'm going to pretend like I didn't hear that. What's your name?" I tried to stay calm, but this guy was really getting on my nerves. Who did he think he was, a prince?

"None of your business. Now leave me alone." He picked up the pace. So did I.

"Hey, are you ok?" I asked. I was genuinely concerned. 

"I'm fine! Leave me alone." He started walking even faster. I struggled to keep up.

"Hey, come on. I'm trying to help." 

"And I don't want your help so leave me alone!!" He stopped and shoved me at full force. This kid was stronger than I thought. He ran at top speed, towards the back of the building. I stood up and brushed myself off. That guy was a jerk. I was only trying to help him! He didn't have to shove me to the floor, little prick. 

I ran to make it to the front door and saw my mom waiting in the car. I climbed into her car and we drove off, talking about my first day. I didn't add in the detail about that emo kid. I didn't want him to get in trouble or my mom to get involved. I would figure everything out tomorrow.


	3. Art

 I woke up the next morning with 2 texts, one from Garroth and one from Pip. I read the one from Pip first.

Pip: Hey Kid.

Me: Hey back. I'm not a kid, you know =P

Pip: Yeah I know X3 I like messing with you.

Me: You can say that again XP

Pip: =D do you want to do the dungeon again tonight?

Me: That dungeon was so easy though! Let's find a harder one >=3

Pip: Fine, fine. 7 o' clock sound good?

Me: Sounds great to me! TTYTN

Pip: TTYTN?

Me: Talk to you Tonight. XP

Pip: Haha alright. TTYTN

I moved to the message from Garroth.

Garroth: Hey (Y/N)

Me: Hey Garroth. What's up?

Garroth: You live on Star Ave, right?

Me: Yeah, why?

Garroth: I think I pass by your house on my way to school. Mind if I walk you to school today? ;)

Me: Save those winks for your fangirls, pretty boy XD. Yes, you can walk me to school today. That just means I have to go now to be ready in time.

Garroth: Haha. Sweet. I'm on my way. See you soon.

Me: See ya.

I shut off my phone, set it on my bedside table, and got dressed in my uniform. I checked my backpack and homework on last time, grabbed them both, my headphone and my phone, and walked downstairs for breakfast. My mom was there to greet me.

"Honey, your gonna be late if you go that slow."

"Morning to you too mom. Let me just grab something quick and I'll be on my way. I have a friend waiting for me anyway."

"I'm sure he can wait." There was a deep voice behind me. I turn around to see Garroth had snuck up on me. He made me jump.

"Garroth! Wow, what are doing here?"

"I was looking for your house when I saw your mom outside getting the mail. I asked her if she knew where you lived and she invited me inside," he then turned to my mom, "Thank you again for invited me in, Mrs. Solas."

"Oh, it's no problem, Garroth," my mom wasn't a big fan of pet names, even from dad, "I love meeting (Y/N)'s new friends. Now (Y/N), grab some french toast and hurry along. I don't want both of you to be late. You may have some too, Garroth."

We both took some french toast, thanked mom, and headed out. We were halfway to school when either one of us spoke up.

"Your mom is a really good cook, (Y/N)," Garroth said, through a mouthful of toast and egg. This made his voice sound kinda goofy and it made me laugh.

"Thanks, Garroth. So what was your last class yesterday?"

"I had a free period last class. I just spent my time wandering the school."

"Lucky! I had Home Ec."

"Hey, that's lucky too! I had Home Ec last year and I didn't too half bad!"

"Yeah, well, my first class didn't go the way I wanted it to though."

"And why's that?"

"Well, this rude kid would bump into me without saying sorry, which I didn't mind, but what I did mind was that same kid pushed me down in the hallway for trying to help him."

"Wow. I can see where you're coming from. And you're not mad about this?"

"I was at first. But I thought he might be going through something and I shouldn't interfere."

"What did this kid look like?" Man, he was full of questions today.

"Let's see, kinda short, but still taller than me,"Garroth started to laugh at this so I playfully hit his shoulder, "He had blue eyes and black hair that hung over his right eye."

"Wait, was he wearing a mask around his mouth?"

"Yeah, why?" We had made it to school and began walking toward my homeroom. What a gentleman.

"I think I know who you are talking about."

"Oh really? Who?"

"I'm not certain but I think it was my little brother, Zane."

"Wait, wait. That emo kid is your brother?!" I couldn't believe it. Garroth was so jovial and nice. Zane was just rude and looked depressed most of the time. I guess my disbelief must have shown on my face because Garroth started to laugh.

"Yea, he's my little brother. He does look emo but he's a great kid, I promise. I can't help but love him."

"Wow. Well, I guess I'll be seeing more of him today."

"Why's that?"

"He's in my homeroom, Home Ec class, and Geometry class."

"Awesome! Hey, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Yeah? What's up?"

"Do you think you could try making friends with Zane? The only friends he has are online and I've seen him around the school and he's always alone. He refuses to talk to anyone about it though."

Why, WHY did he have to ask me this? I'm not good at making friends, especially with people who think that can push me around. But I owe Garroth for making me feel like not so much of a complete loner my first few days. I sigh and say,

"Sure. I'll try but I may not succeed. Pretty sure he hates my guts right now."

"Thank you, (Y/N). I've been worried about him. I don't want to lose him."

"It's fine Garroth. I'll hopefully see you later." I began to walk away when he grabbed my hand.

"Wait, take out your schedule. I want to see if we have any classes together."

I took out my schedule and he did the same. We went over our classes and we actually had quite a few together: Art, Witchcraft, and P.E. We had Art after lunch so we promised each other to sit together at lunch. We waved goodbye and I walked into the class and took my seat. Aphmau and Travis weren't there yet. I guess I was early. The only other kid I saw there was Zane. I know what Garroth said about being his friend, but I think he's still mad about me bothering him yesterday.

Aphmau and Travis finally walked in and we all started talking. The teacher called roll then we were off to our first class. Of course, Zane was the first person out of the class. I told Aph about being in Art with Garroth and that she and Travis should come to sit with us at lunch. She agreed, but with a lot of stuttering. Travis was trying his best not to laugh.

The morning passed by pretty uneventfully so before I knew it, I was at lunch. I grabbed my lunch from my locker and made my way to the cafeteria with Aphmau. I scanned the large room before finally landing my eyes on Garroth. He seemed to be looking for me too and he waved at me, motioning for me to go sit with them. I grabbed Aph's hand before making my way over to the table. At the table, there was Garroth (of course), Laurence, a guy with bright blue hair and blue eyes., Travis, Katelyn, and a guy with dark brown hair and bright green eyes. Wait, Travis was here? I didn't know he would be sitting here.

"Travis, what are you doing here? I didn't think you knew any of these guys." I said, sitting down in between Garroth and Laurence. Aph sat in between Katelyn and Travis.

"Yeah! Dante here is one of my friends from a while back." He motioned to the blue haired guy. Dante, as I know knew him, took my hand in his.

"Travis, I didn't know your girlfriend was this pretty."

"W-what!? Sh-she's not,"

"Nice try, Dante," I cut in, "but I'm not his girlfriend. We're just friends."

"Ah," He pulled me a little closer, "then, how about going out with me?" This made me laugh uncontrollably hard. Once I calmed down, I spoke up again.

"Haha, Sorry, Dante, not interested. Garroth here knows that too."

"You're dating Garroth?" Aphmau, Travis, Dante, and Laurence all said. Wow, little loud there guys.

"No no no," Garroth said, "I tried the flirting tact with her too. She's invincible to that kind of stuff."

I shrugged my shoulders, "What can I say? I'm not hopeless or loveless but I'm not easily seduced."

"So what did your previous boyfriends think about that?" The brown haired guy finally spoke up. He had a kind and caring voice. The kind of voice you would want to be speaking during a boring meeting or lecture.

"I wouldn't know. Never had a boyfriend before," I said, digging into my food. Everyone at the table looked shocked again.

"What, is that so unbelievable? I've never dated before." I didn't see it as much of a shock. I don't know why they did.

"How could you not have had a boyfriend before!?" Aphmau said, her mouth still hanging open a bit, "I mean, you're smart, confident, beautiful, kind, caring, always willing to help, and you make friends so easily."

"I wouldn't say that. There is one guy I haven't been able to make friends with because he's being kind of stubborn about talking to me, but I'll get through to him." I gave Garroth a sideways glance. He met my gaze and smiled. I smiled back and continued to eat my lunch. We continued our conversations and I was introduced to the brown haired guy. It turns out his name was Jeffrey, a senior who had known Katelyn for a long time, them being girlfriend and boyfriend and all. Before we knew it, lunch had ended and Garroth and I were leaving to head off to art. Laurence and Aph stopped us.

"Now where are you two going?" Laurence said.

"To our next class, duh," I said back.

"Not without me, you aren't" He started to stand up. I arched my brow and looked at Garroth.

"Forgot to tell you Laurence is in our class too." He explained.

"Don't worry. You're not the only one. Aph's in this class too." I laid my arm around her shoulders. She just smiled sheepishly.

"Awesome!" Laurence said, "Let's get going." And we all head off.

Art was pretty uneventful. Aphmau volunteered to model for everyone and we compared drawings after class. In my opinion, Laurence's was the best but everyone insisted that mine was the best. I didn't think so.

The rest of the day was just like art. Uneventful wandering from class to class until the final bell rang and we got to go home. I hoped in my mom's car, excited to start the weekend. But first, that dungeon with Pip.


	4. Soccer with the Ro'meave Brothers

That weekend was the weekend I was supposed to spend with Aphmau and her mom. My mom was out of town on a business trip so I had to live with Aph for a few days. We mainly went online together or with our friends. Lucky for us, we both liked the same games so it was easy for us to play together.

We had just finished a dungeon together and got some pretty epic loot when Aphmau's mom came into the room.

"Aphmau, (Y/N), come on! We're going to the park!"

"Why? What's going on mom?" Aphmau and I were both confused.

"I hooked back up with an old friend of mine and we wanted to go jogging together! She has her own kids so you guys with have people to play with?"

"So we're just babysitters, Mrs. Aphmau?" I questioned, with my eyebrow raising. I was not in the mood to babysit a bunch of brats. She just ignored me.

"Oh honey, call me Sylvana. Well, come on, girls! We leave in 10 minutes!" Then she left the room.

"Ugh! Aph I don't wanna go outside!" I groaned, flopping on her bed.

"I don't either, but when Mom sets her mind to something, it's hard to get her off track. I guess we should go get ready." She hopped off of her chair and walked into her closet.

"But don't we look fine now?"

"Look at yourself, (Y/N). You wore that t-shirt to bed and it has Cheeto crumbs and dust all over it. You really want to risk seeing anyone from school in that?"

"But no one from school will be there!" I whined, "I don't see why it's a big deal."

"Fine," she said, "You can look like a hobo when we leave. But don't blame me." She walked out of her closet. She had changed into a red and white striped shirt that hung off one shoulder, some jean shorts, cute red converse, and a red bandana in her hair. She spun around and said,

"How do I look?"

I just stared at her and said, "Why can't I look that cute?"

"Hehe. Thanks."

"Alright, move over. I'll change." She stepped to the side and I enter the closet. I pulled out a black P!ATD T-shirt that didn't have crumbs all over it, some black joggers, black sneakers, and my purple "I'd rather be a unicorn" baseball hat. I stepped out of the closet to model for Aphmau.

"I like it!" she said, "But you do realize that you're wearing all black, right?"

"Planned on it. I don't want to attract a whole lot of attention." I walked back to the bed to grabbed my small brown l backpack when all my stuff in it, i.e. Laptop, phone, headphone, some books, sunglasses, etc.

"But doesn't wearing all black attract more attention in a bright area?" Crap. I didn't think about this. I was about to go back into the closet to change again when Sylvana came back into the room wearing her jogging outfit.

"Come on girls! It's time to go!" Shoot, I wasn't able to change. I guess I'll just go in this. We piled into the car and drove off to the park.

We walked to the "meet-up" spot and Aphmau and I sat down on a bench. We would need our energy for when we looked after some brats. That's when Sylvana's friend came around the corner.

"AHH!!! Sylvana!!" the strange woman came running towards us.

"Hey, girl!!!" Sylvana ran towards to woman and they enveloped each other in a huge hug. After about 5 minutes, they finally let each other go.

"Oh, Sylvana! It's been years! How have you been?" I was still confused. It seemed Aphmau was too. Who was this woman?

"Oh I've been just fabulous! Oh, this is Aphmau and (Y/N). Aphmau's mine but (Y/N)is just staying with us for the weekend. But enough about us, look at you!"

"It's so great to meet you girls. I'm Zianna! And don't worry, Sylvanna, three kids won't do anything to this figure." What? Three kids?!

"Great," Aphmau spoke up, "I guess we have to watch three brats, huh (Y/N)?"

"Lovely. No better way to spend my weekend." I said, my words dripping with sarcasm.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call us brats." Aphmau and I turned our heads towards the voice. Aphmau squeaked while I just got excited.

"Garroth!" I ran up to hug him. He gave me a big bear hug. "I didn't know Zianna was your mom!" Garroth and I let each other go and I turned to Vylad and Zane. "Hey Vylad, Zane."

"Hey, (Y/N)! Hey, not alone buddy!" Vylad said. I just got a grunt from Zane.

"Aww!!! I didn't know you had a girlfriend, Gar Gar! Oh, let me get a picture." Zianna started getting her phone out of her bag. Garroth's face started to turn into a tomato.

"M-mommy! (Y/N)n-not,"

"Sorry, Zianna, Garroth and I aren't dating. He's just my best friend."

"Oh. Well, that makes sense. Anyway, we have to start jogging. Now Zuu Zuu, I want you to try at least one sport with your friends and brothers while we are here, ok?"

"...fine."

"There we go! Now come on, Sylvanna! I got some Beyonce we can jam out to!" They started blasting Beyonce as they jogged off. We were left on our own for the time being. But that was when we noticed Zane walking away.

"And where do you think you're going, baby brother?" Garroth said, his face back to normal.

"To the shadiest place I can find, with my phone, to be away from you people."

"Like hell, you are," I said, running up and grabbing the back of his hoodie, "Zianna said you have to hang out with us. You don't want your mom to be disappointed in you, now do you?"

"Hey! Let go! I don't care about you people! I'm leaving." I didn't let go. I hung on tighter. I knew I wasn't choking him.

"Nope! You're coming with us! Or I'm taking that phone of yours,"

"Urgh, fine! Just let go!" I let him go and he turned around. I flashed him a smile, then turned to the others

"So, what sport do you guys want to play?"

"Soccer!!!" Vylad and Aphmau said at the same time.

"Perfect! Aphmau, isn't there a ball in your mom's car? Can you get that for us? We'll meet you at the field!"

"Okay! See you guys there!" And she ran off to get the ball and we headed off to the field. We got there as Aph was walking towards us from across the field with a soccer ball in hand. She kicked it towards us and I ran forward, leaped towards the ball, caught it and rolled on the ground. I took me about 2 seconds to stop rolling and get back up.

"Thanks, Aphmau!"

"No problem!"

"What was that about?" Garroth said, kinda dumbstruck.

"What? Got a problem with it?" I said with a smile on my face, turning towards them.

"No no! Not at all! That was amazing! But I was just confused on why you did it?" He got kinda flushed.

"Heh. It's ok. I've always been able to do weird tricks like that but I haven't been able to do them for a while so Aphmau is helping me get that skill back."

"That is so cool!" Vylad had finally picked his mouth off the ground.

I smiled. "Come on guys! Let's play some soccer!"

 

~~~

 

We set up the game. But first, Zane needed to learn the sport. Vylad said he would try and teach him how to be a goalie. Didn't want him to get too roughed up I guess.

They were practicing and Zane managed to block a few goals. I was talking with Garroth and Aphmau was watching the two play.

"I hope you're ok with not being able to play right away. Zane hasn't done any sports before."

"I really don't mind. I'm just glad I get to hang out with you guys outside of school."

"Heh. Hey, earlier, when you were talking to our mom, you said I was your best friend." He started looking towards the game.

"What about it?"

"Well, we don't know that much about each other. I was thinking we could talk while Zane learns how to play." He sat down and I joined him.

"Sure. What would you like to know?"

"If you don't mind me asking, where is your dad?"

"On a business trip. It's kinda weird though. Every so often, I'll think I see them in public but I know its not him."

"Ok, um, favorite color?"

"Light blue."

"Animal?"

"Dog or owl."

"Same here! I wanted to get a dog but Dad's allergic. I want to get one once I'm older though."

"Any more question?"

"Hmm. Previous school?"

"Homeschooled for two years."

"Favorite video game?"

"Undertale." I saw Aphmau turn towards me when I said Undertale. I winked at her and turned back toward Garroth.

"Favorite food?"

"Mac n' cheese."

"Favorite candy?"

"MnMs"

"Dessert?"

"CAKE!"  
"Wow! Little excited there, don't you think?" He said, laughing a little.

"I can't help it! I love cake! It's so good!"

"Haha, ok then. Favorite type of cake?"

"Sponge cake with whipped cream in the middle with fudge frosting," I said dreaming a little. I wanted cake so badly now. Haha, thanks Garroth.

"Wow, that sounds delicious!" He turned towards Aphmau, "Hey Aphmau?"

"Hm?" She turned towards us.

"What's the name of your Meif~wa friend? The one with the pink that likes to bake a lot."

"Oh, that's Kawaii~Chan. She really likes to bake. She says her specialty is cake."

"You need to introduce me to your friend, Aph!" I said, "if she likes cake and sweets, then I'm sure we'll be friends."

"Hehe! Sure! I'll introduce you guys on Monday!"

"Yeah! Cake!"I said, flopping on my back. My bliss didn't last for long because we heard some yelling from the field.

"NO! I don't want to play with you, Vylad!" It was Zane.

"Fine! How about Garroth kicks the ball to you?" Vylad was trying to stay calm, but I could see his calm nature was breaking.

"NO! I don't want to play with him either! Just leave me alone so I can go to the shade with my phone."

"I-I'll play with you, Zane." Aphmau had stepped forward. She seemed slightly timid.

"You?! HA! Don't make me laugh! I bet you couldn't even kick the ball far enough to reach me."

"Zane, that's not very," Vylad started.

"What did you just say?" Aphmau was starting to get angry. She ran out to the field and stood behind the ball, aiming toward the goal.

"Don't we want to stop this?" Vylad said, walking towards Garroth and me.

"Don't worry about this. They'll be fine." I answered

"Go ahead! Try and kick it to me."

So she did. The ball flew right past Zane's ear and into the goal. I grabbed the ball and kicked it back to Aphmau.

"Urgh. I wasn't ready! Try again, I'm ready this time."

She kicked again, but I could see this was about to go wrong. Before the ball could reach Zane, I ran forward, hooked my foot under the ball, backflipped to run out the momentum of the ball, and landed back on my feet, the ball still hooked on my foot.

"Kicked it a little too hard, don't you think, Aph?"

"Heh, Sorry!" She looked bashful, "I didn't mean for it to be so hard. I guess my emotions got the best of me."

"It's no problem. I'm glad I acted when I did. If I didn't, Zane here might have had a black eye or a broken nose." I turned toward Zane, who was standing in the goal, staring at me. I flashed him a smile and I could have sworn I saw a slight blush from under his mask, but it was hard to see. Cute. What?! Don't think that! I kicked the ball upwards and caught it in my hands.

"Come on guys! It's almost time to head back to the bench. I'm gonna put the ball back in the car and meet you guys there." I waved at them and ran towards the car. I threw the ball into the car and ran towards the bench to see Aphmau, the boys, and both mom's standing around talking.

"-And then (Y/N)ran towards the ball and-"

"Hey, guys! Have a nice run, ladies?"

"Oh yes! We caught up on a lot of wasted time. Sylvanna!" Zianna turned towards Sylvanna, "You, Aphmau, and (Y/N)should all come over for dinner tonight!"

"That would be amazing, Zianna! Maybe we'll bring a dish with us!"

"Oh! Bring those quesadilas you used to make!"

"They're pronounced quesadillas, Zianna."

"Still delicious!" Zianna laughed.

"Hehe, Alright, we'll see you tonight! Come on girls, let's go get ready." And off we went.


	5. Dinner Madness

"Come on Aphmau, we need to get ready!" I was trying to pull her out of her bed. I go to the bathroom for five minutes and she barricades herself under her covers.

"Nooooo. I don't want to see him."

"See who, Aph?"

"You know who."

"Garroth?"

"...maybe." She poked her head out of the covers and I see a light pink blush had been dusted on her cheeks. That's adorable! Aphmau has a schoolgirl crush. I knew I shouldn't have, but I laughed a little.

"Hey! Don't laugh!" Her face got redder. I calmed down and stopped laughing.

"Ok, ok. I'll stop. Now come on! I know an outfit that you have that Garroth will love." I grabbed her hands and successfully pulled out of her bed. I directed her into her closet and handed her the outfit. It took her some time to get it on but when she stepped out, I was speechless. She walked out in a small, knee-length red dress with a white belt around her waist. She wore red flats with a strap out the top of her foot.

"Eeee! I knew you would look adorable!!! Now come here." I dragged her to her desk chair and sat her down. I grabbed my makeup bag from my duffel bag and walked back to her. A short time later, I had finished her makeup and hair. I knew Garroth was going to love how she looked! Time for me to get ready. (See outfit and makeup above.)

I just pinned the last lock of hair in the right place when Sylvanna came into the room.

"Aww!" she squealed, "You two look totes adorable! I need a picture!" She shifted us closer together and took some pictures. Then we grabbed the salsa and quesadillas and walked across to the Ro'meave house.

~TIME SKIP~

Sylvanna was the one to knock on the door when we got there. Zianna came a short time later and invited us in.

"Hey, Gurl! You all look so pretty! Boys, come here and see how pretty the girls look!" Zianna called. Garroth was the only one who showed up in the doorway. He looked at all of us, blushing slightly when he saw Aph, then locked eyes with us. I tugged on my ear, giving him the signal. He nodded in return. I ran towards him, jumped, and he caught my waist, lifting me into the air like two ice skaters. He set me down, his hands still holding my waist, and I pulled him into a hug.

"Well, that was definitely a way to say hello, (Y/N)," Aphmau said. I looked at her with a big smile.

"Yeah, you could say that. We planned that when we were at the park. You were watching Zane and Vylad so we thought we could plan something!" I turned to face Garroth, "I'm very glad you didn't drop me. I was worried!"

"Haha! Never! I don't want to drop my best friend." We moved our hug into a side, one-armed hug. Then we heard a squeal.

"Eeee!!! (Y/N), I don't see why you aren't dating my Gar Gar! You guys compliment each other perfectly!" Zianna squealed. This time I blushed.

"Sorry, Zianna. I'm glad we compliment each other, but he's still just my best friend."

"For now," Garroth added, looking at me with a goofy grin. I playfully shoved him, breaking the hug.

"Shut up, dork!" I laughed.

"Well, why don't we move the party to the kitchen? Gar-Gar, would you mind showing (Y/N) and Aphmau on a tour of the house?" Zianna suggested.

"Sure, mommy," He put on a fake, princely air and offered Aphmau his hand, "May I?" I couldn't help but laugh a little. Aphmau blushed a bit but gave Garroth her hand. She looked back at me and I gave her a huge double thumbs up, following them upstairs. My dress made it a little hard but I still made it.

At the top of the stairs, Garroth led us to Vylad and Zane's rooms. Vylad was doing some weird meditation thing so we left him alone. Zane was playing an MMORPG and I could see it right away so I shooed everyone out of the room. One last look behind me at Zane, I saw a slight blush under his mask. _Aww._ Wait, what? Stop that (Y/N)! After Zane's room, we moved to Garroth's room and talked until Zianna called us down for dinner.

We all sat around the dining room table; Sylvanna next to Zianna, Zianna next to Mr. Ro'meave (who told me to call him Garte), Garte next to Garroth, Garroth next to Aphmau, Aphmau next to me, I was next to Zane, Zane next to Vylad, and Vylad next to Sylvanna, completing the circle around the table. Barely into dinner, Zianna and Sylvanna left to get drinks for everyone and Garte left to take a phone call for work. That just left Garroth, Aphmau, Vylad, Zane, and I around the table. I decided to start making conversation.

"So, Garroth, what's drink is your mom bringing out again?" I questioned.

"I don't know. I think she just said it was a red drink." He responded. An innocent enough answer. Unfortunately for Garroth, Zane started teasing him, twisting his words around.

"I bet you'd want a red drink in a small glass, hm, Garroth?" I understood what Zane was poking at and turned toward Garroth and Aphmau. Both were blushing; Garroth just had a light blush while Aphmau was turning into a tomato. I turned back to Zane, signaling him with my eyes to stop him. It didn't work.

"Zane, stop," Garroth growled quietly.

"What's wrong? I'm just helping you with your 'game'." Zane continued. This time, I stepped in.

"And you, Zane, need to stop playing his 'game' for him," I said. I felt pretty good about that. It was true. You don't play someone else's game without their permission, in real life or in a video game.

"Alright, alright," Zane said. Garroth looked like he was about to explode, "But first, why don't you have some of these mashed potatoes. They're small and cute just like you like them,"

That had done it. Garroth slammed down on the table, frustrated and annoyed, and nearly ran outside.

"Do you think you can calm him down, Aph?" I whispered to her. She nodded, excused herself from the table, and followed Garroth outside. "Meanwhile," I said, turning to Zane with annoyance and a motherly look in my eyes, "You and I need to have a chat."

"Who are you, my mother?" Zane shot back.

"No, but I doubt Zianna would be very pleased with what you've done." This seemed to work. Pulling the mother card on Zane works, but I won't be abusing it. Only when I need it. I turned to Vylad. "Vylad, would you mind explaining where we all are when the adults come back?" he simply nodded. I flashed him a kind smile, "Thanks, Vylad!" Then, Zane and I walked out to the front yard.

Initially, we just sat there, on his front steps, saying nothing. I was about to speak when he spoke up first.

"Listen, before you start lecturing me like you're my mother, don't. I know it was wrong, but he's my brother. I've done this to him and Vylad before. It's not a big deal."

"I know how siblings act. My older brother had already moved out but my sister still acts like I'm a child of Satan that constantly needs to be scolded. What I really want you to understand is that Garroth really cares for you and he's worried about you."

"What are you talking about? If he really cared, he would have told me."

"You realize that he's been trying, right? Ever since I met him, he's told me how much he cares for you and how he's worried for you. He's tried to tell you in public and private, but you either ignore him or run away."

"Why would he need to be worried anyway? I'm...fine," he said, hesitating. Hesitation, the first sign of knowing that a person is not fine.

"He knows you aren't fine and I know it too. You're constantly alone, you reject any kind of friendship from people, you.."

"Ok! ok, maybe things aren't the best for me right now. So what?" He snapped. But I wasn't going to give up.

"So what? You have so many people who care about you! Your parents, Vylad, Garroth, Aphmau, and, yes, I care about you too. More than you know." Oh, my gosh, (Y/N), what did you just say? That realization caused me to blush, a lot. But I didn't break eye contact. 

"Y-you do?" he stuttered. I nodded.

"Yes. I do," I stood up and paced around. This is what happens when I start to rant, "I know I mother you, seem to pick on you, bother you, annoy you, and pester you but I really do care. I know I can be pushy and annoying and bothersome and rude and kinda uncensored and I'm sorry for all of that but I can't help it. I've been trying since the first day to stop being so annoying to everyone. Everyone says I'm confident and pretty and fun to be around but that's kinda hard to believe! I'm pushy, not confident. I feel fake, not pretty. I'm annoying, not fun! There's so much wrong with me, I can't even say it all without it take 10 years! I just....I just...." I collapsed to my knees, panting and crying. I saw Zane walked towards me and kneel in front of me. "I'm just a pushy, annoying freak," I say quietly.

"No, you're not," Zane grabbed my shoulders lightly and brushed away some of my tears. "You're not fake, you're the most wholesome person I know. Even if you can be a little pushy and bossy at times, that just makes you a badass in my eyes. It hasn't been very long and look at the friends you've made. Plus, you're the only girl I know that hasn't fallen for Garroth's princely game. You're an amazing girl, (Y/N). You're not the only one who has made mistakes. For instance, I'm so sorry for pushing you in the hall during the first day. I turn into a different person when I'm nervous. I'm mean, cruel, and hurtful to those I care for. The reason I ran that day is because I felt so bad for pushing you down but I didn't know how to say sorry back then, so I just ran. But most of all, (Y/N)," He pushed my hair out of my eyes and stared me straight in the face, "you understand me. When Garroth burst into my room, you saw what I was doing and told everyone to leave. You could see that I was about to be hurt in the park and ran to protect me. I can't say how grateful I am towards you." I couldn't control myself. I pulled him a hug and he hugged back. We stayed like that for a long time before breaking away and joining the others for dinner again. The night passed uneventfully after that and Zane and I parted as friends that night.


	6. Broken

Homeroom on the first day back was pretty normal, except that Zane and I were now friends. Both Aphmau and Travis seemed shocked when I said hello to Zane as I walked in and responded with a hello and a wave.

"Ok," Travis said, "What have you done to Zane, (Y/N)?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said, putting on an innocent act. I knew exactly what he was talking about, but I was teasing him.

"No one, not even the teacher, can get a response out of Zane and you just said hello to him and he responded."

"What can I say? Even the worst people can change for the better," I looked towards Zane, caught his eye, and winked; He blushed.

"But you-" Travis began. He couldn't get his entire sentence out because then, the teacher walked into the room and began taking roll. 

Today's schedule was a little different from other days and I wasn't sure why. According to my schedule, I have Art, PE, Lunch, Geometry, then Home Ec. Looks like I'm spending my whole day with two of the Ro'meave brothers! I guess that means I'm walking home with them too. But, hey, no complaints from me!

I had just started walking to Art with Aph when Garroth ran up next to us. 

"Hey, Garroth!" I said.

"Hey, (Y/N). Hey, Aph. How was the rest of your weekend?"

"It went well. We kinda to a break from being in each other's company and played some MMOs with our online friends," I turned to Aph, "What was your friend's name again?"

"FC. Your friend's name is Pip, right?"

"Was. He changed his username to Gigaplex, for some reason. So I'm just calling him G," Garroth got this weird look on his face like he knew someone with the username Gigaplex. Odd.  **(( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°))**

"So, Aph, Garroth, did you guys manage to fix whatever was happening last night?" Their faces turned bright red like tomatoes so I dropped the subject. Soon after, we arrived at the art room and took our seats next to Laurence. 

Despite the day having a weird schedule, everything past uneventfully. Aphmau was the model in art again and Garroth's work was getting a lot better. In PE, we played volleyball and Garroth and I were team captains. It was a close game. My team won but we didn't lord it over Garroth's team. In geometry, I sat next to Zane and helped him with some theorems and postulates he didn't understand, then we headed off to Home Ec together. After Home Ec, we met up with Garroth, Vylad, and Aphmau and we all headed home. 

Home... I'm not sure I can call it that anymore. When I walked through the door, I was greeted with screaming from a man's voice and crying from a woman's voice. I knew where this was going. I quietly as I could, I slipped upstairs and started packing everything I could into a suitcase; clothes, shoes, laptop, chargers, headphones, phone, and emergency food I store in my closet. My bedroom was on the first floor so I was able to open the window and slide my suitcase out onto the lawn. I tried to slip out of the house as quietly as I could but my parents spotted me before I could leave.

"(Y/N)," my father yelled. I flinched but I had to keep walking, though. I could smell the alcohol on his breath and see the bruises and cuts on my mother. She was lying on the ground. I caught her gaze and reached out to her. She shook her head and mouthed the word,  _Go._  I did. I started running. I ran out the door, scooped up my luggage and didn't stop. I ran, and ran, and ran until I couldn't hear my father calling my name anymore. Then, I kept running. At last, I dropped to the ground, exhausted, physically and emotionally, tired, and sore. I heard a door open.

"(Y/N)?" This was another male voice, much kinder and sweeter than before so I knew it wasn't my father. "(Y/N)! What happened?! What's wrong?!" I looked up to see a worried, concerned face with long blonde hair covering his forehead. It was Garroth.

"G-garroth...." I choked out. It hurt to speak but I tried to.

"Shh. It's ok, (Y/N). Come here, I'll take you inside." He picked me up bridal style, my head against his chest, and he wheeled my suitcase and carried me inside.

"Garroth? Who was that outside?" I heard Zianna's voice. She came out around the corner and gasped, her hands covering her mouth. "Oh, my gosh, (Y/N)! What happened?!"

"Mom, please, she's tired. I've asked her what happened but I don't think she can speak. She needs rest."

"Oh, alright. Let me call her mother."

"No...." I whispered. Surprisingly, they heard me. I moved a bit and Garroth set me down on the ground. "Please Zianna..., don't call my house. I need to talk to you."

"Alright, honey. Garroth, would you help her to the living room? I'll make some tea and meet you there." We both nodded and walked to the living room.

"Would you like me to leave when you talk to my mother? I don't have to if you don't want me to." 

"No. You deserve to hear this just as much as she does. In fact," I continued, a little steadier than before," Would you mind if we brought your brothers in here too? I wanted to call Aph and have her come over. I want them all to know." He nodded, left to let his mother know, and went to bring his brothers to the room. I called up Aph. She picked up on the first ring.

"Hello?" her sweet voice was great to hear after what happened.

"Hey, Aph. Would you mind coming to Garroth's house? I'm here too but there is something you need to hear in person."

"Of course, I'll be over soon. What happened?"

"I'll explain when you get here. Thanks, Aphmau."

"No problem, I'll be there soon. See you."

"Bye." and we hung up.

By the time I ended the call with Aphmau, Zane, Vylad, Garroth, and Zianna were all in the room. Soon after, Aphmau burst into the room.

"I'M HERE!" She said, clearly had been running.

"Thanks, Aph. Ok, I guess I should start at the beginning," I ran through everything that had happened since I got home, from my father screaming, my mother injured on the floor, running away. No one said anything until I was done. In the end, the most enraged seemed to be Garroth.

"I can't believe that happened!!!! Your father comes home early from a business trip, DRUNK no less, and abuses your mother and attempts to hurt you! " he yelled. I tried to calm him down.

"I know, Garroth. After we are done talking, I am going to call the cops and send them to my house."

"I'll do it," Zianna said, excusing herself from the room. 

"So, where are you gonna live till this blows over?" Vylad asked. He was the calmest of all of us. I turned to Aph.

"I was hoping you and your mom, Aph, would let me live with you for a while."

"Absolutely. My mom loves you and will take care of you like you were her own." Aph said. I smiled. I was glad there were still people who cared about me. Heck, I was in a room full of them.

"Thanks, Aph. I guess everything is taken care of for now. You want to head home, Aph?" She nodded, I thanked everyone for helping me, grabbed my luggage, and followed Aph to her house.

 

~~~

 

I won't lie; It's been really hard since I moved in with Aphmau. Don't get me wrong, Aphmau and her mom have been the absolute best; a light in the dark moment called my life right now. Think about it; they gave me a home while my dad is being hauled off to jail and my mother is in the hospital. They're giving me food and water while I cannot provide for myself. They are my family while my real family is unable to be there for me. I couldn't be more grateful.

But they can only do so much for my situation. My dad is in jail for attempted murder and domestic abuse. During the interrogation, he confessed that these beatings had been happening for 4 months, since the start of school. My mother is in the hospital with deep cuts, severe bruising, broken bones, a concussion, and blood poisoning from infection getting into her cuts. The doctors say she'll make it, but everything could turn on its head and anything could happen. I like those doctors. They don't bullshit me just because I'm a freshman. They knew I could handle the information.

But it's hard. It's SO hard to keep going on with life. But I have to. I told the rest of the group the news and they acted the way I expected them too; enraged at my dad and sorrowed for my mom and me. We all promised to keep my situation a secret.

It wasn't easy to convince them not to tell anyone. I had to promise not to do anything rash or dangerous and to go to the counselors. I almost refused but I really didn't want my personal business with anyone but the people I trust the most. So here I am, sitting in the counselor's office, waiting for the counselor to walk in. She eventually came and we talked for a few minutes to set up future meetings and I was on my way. During that meeting, she brought up my homework situation. She wanted to know if I wanted teachers to lessen my workload. I refused. I told her I wanted to keep everything as normal as possible, workload included. She agreed with my reasoning and that was that. It was true, though. I didn't want it to seem like anything more than I was spending a few days with Aph.

I finally made it outside where Sylvanna and Aphmau were waiting in their car for me to finish. 

"Hey, (Y/N)!" Sylvanna said. Have I mentioned that I love this woman? She always tries to brighten the mood when someone is down, "How was your day?"

"It went as normal as I could make it. I had to tell the rest of the group about what happened and they made me go see the counselor. I almost refused but I still went."

"Well, I'm glad you did. I've been worried all day," She made me smile. It heartwarming to know so many people care about me, "Now, let's go home! I have dinner in the oven." I'm glad she didn't do anything special. She knew I wanted everything as normal as possible. I couldn't be more grateful.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. I'm meeting up with a friend at the park later today," I say.

"Oh, Who are you meeting?" Sylvanna asked. I detected a hint of motherly protection in her voice but I got that a lot from my mom so it didn't affect me. I decided to tease her.

"A boy from school," I replied. I tried to make it blatantly obvious that I was teasing her.

"I don't know how your parents felt about you hanging around boys but Aphmau here knows that I don't like a lot of boys that she makes friends with," (You can say that again, Aphmau whispered to me), "I just want you to know that, while you are living with us, I will treat you like I treat Aphmau. Including how I feel about you around boys. Now, who are you seeing?"

I contemplated whether or not to give her a straight answer but I decided against it for 2 reasons: 1) I couldn't think of what to say to keep the ball rolling, and 2) Aph and her mom are already doing so much for me that I didn't want them to think that I was more trouble than I was worse.

"It's Zane. We wanted to hang out at the park after school today but Zianna insisted that we both get homework done first," Wow. Now that I'm thinking about it, how come Sylvanna didn't know about this. They usually tell each other everything.

"Oh. Ok then. I'm glad it's one of Zianna's boys. The only other boy I trust besides them is your not alone buddy, Travis. Just text me when you're heading home. If I don't respond, I've fallen asleep."

"Ok. Thanks, mom. Oh, I m-mean Sylvanna."

"Haha, It's alright dear. I just hope it doesn't bring back too many bad memories," We pulled up to the house and Sylvanna stopped the car, "Well, you two better go and change. I'll get dinner out of the oven."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's all I have of this book! Yeah, I know it didn't end at a good point, kinda at a cliffhanger. But I have no more material for this book but there is a SECOND ONE COMING! I'm working on it at the moment but hopefully, it will be out soon. Ciao~


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